Fate Decides
by Shadowen1
Summary: (Unfinished) The beginnings of Nittle-grasper through post seiries. When love comes from two places, where will Tohma go? As Ryu-chan slowly loses himself, who will save him?
1. Ai no Shigen

Do I really need this Disclaimer? I mean, all those who don't know what it's gonna say, raise your hands. ... ... ... As I thought... no one is being quite that dense today! ^_^  
  
Please, forgive me for the references I make to things like... say... school... that may be far more American than Japanese. If anyone sees these things and knows how they work in Japan instead, please tell me!!\  
  
One more thing... Only one! I swear!! Umm... this story may go rather slowly, I know what will happen the entire time, but this story is a reward I allow myself to write when I've achieved goals on the novel I'm writing. So... I'll write this as much as I can, but, well, this is amusement and the other is a profession. Gomen ne.  
  
Pairings: Well... wishful pairings or pairings that actually succeed?   
Successful pairings: TohmaxMika YukixShu (barely mentioned... maybe waaaaaay later.)   
  
Now... Onto the story!!!!  
  
  
Fate Decides  
  
Chapter One  
  
He could hear laughter as he approached the classroom. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he took a deep breath. He knew he was shy, but he usually covered that up pretty well, after all, everyone else just thought he was aloof.   
  
This was his third day at the new school, and he had heard about the Thespian society that morning in his homeroom class. An after school group dedicated to performing arts... even if it wasn't music, it was close enough. Gathering his courage, he stepped through the door into a war zone. The noise level was almost painful, and the teacher who sat in a chair laughing wasn't doing anything about it. Most of the students were laughing hysterically or cheering. For a moment he couldn't see quite what was going on, but as he slid along a wall he suddenly found a better view. Three girls,- maybe freshmen?- were chasing around a lone boy. The boy was laughing to hard to run effectively, and as a last resort, picked up a stage sword and waved it at them.  
  
"Back away!" He cried breathlessly. "Back away... or... or...or... I'll have to run more!"  
  
The crowd just laughed at him, and the girls advanced menacingly. The trapped boy shrieked and fled once more.   
  
The boy that watched all this silently wondered if this might not be a good time to escape, but before he could take the necessary steps to move him to the door, the hunted boy skidded to a stop in front of him, smiling widely, chase forgotten.   
  
"Hey! Haven't seen you before!" His bright blue eyes were wide and clear as they looked the new boy up and down.   
  
Feeling awkward, the newcomer shrugged and crossed his arms. "I heard about you guys and came down to see what the fuss was."   
  
By now the room had mostly quieted, the afternoon's amusement obviously over... for now. The teacher stood, and wiping her eyes, came over.   
  
"Welcome to our class then..." She waited.  
  
"Seguchi Tohma." He said, softly.   
  
"Welcome, Seguchi-san." She smiled at him in greeting. "This is Ryuichi." She said, indicating the former center of attention. Ryuichi grinned and bowed. "Seguchi-kun" He chirped.   
  
Nodding in return, Tohma pulled away from the wall, unsure of what to do next. The teacher returned to the center of the room, calling all the students to form a circle. Shyly, Tohma joined their ranks, finding himself trapped between Ryuichi and a short brown haired girl. Ryuichi kept casting him glances, and he tried to ignore them, keeping his hands in his pockets as he felt the other boy's eyes search him.  
  
He was surprised when the boy spoke to him. "You're closed off."  
  
He looked over, taken aback. "What do you mean?" He tried to act nonchalant.  
"You've got your arms close to your body, and you're tense. You're all closed off. Got a big personal bubble, don't you?"  
  
Tohma glared at him. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't"  
  
Ryuichi sidled closer. "Am I in your bubble yet?" He grinned up at the taller boy who shifted away automatically. "Ooh!" Ryuichi clapped his hands. "I am! Michiru-sensei! Tohma-kun's got a bubble!"  
  
Tohma wished he could disappear. Coming here had been a bad idea from the start, and now it looked like a very bad idea.  
  
The teacher sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sumimasen, Seguchi-san, Ryuichi's the most hyper one of the group and he does this to everyone, I promise."  
  
Tohma nodded, though he wished the boy would leave him alone.   
  
The teacher looked around the room. "Throw-in time!" The students looked expectant.  
  
Tohma looked around him, feeling very confused. He hoped he'd catch on if he watched enough.   
  
"Sensei!!! Tohma-kun doesn't know what throw-ins are!" The brown-haired boy from beside him piped up. Tohma wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or thankful that he hadn't had to say it himself.   
  
Apologizing, the teacher began to explain. "Well, basically, we take turns, and each throw something in the middle of the circle. Not necessarily a real thing, more like an emotion or an event. If something has happened that is good or bad, something that you need to get out in the open, or get rid of, we take this time to throw it into the center of the circle in a metaphorical sense. That way we can concentrate as we practice for the play we're working on. Does that make sense?"  
  
Tohma nodded. It made sense... weird sense, but sense. As the other students began, he suddenly had a plan.   
  
It was Ryuichi's turn, and he took a moment to think hard, brows curling up as he pondered. "Anou... well..." He bounced in place briefly, then brightened. "Here!" He threw an imaginary handful of something into the circle. "As for what it is... H-I-M-T-S-U!!" The class groaned.  
  
"Seguchi-san?" The teacher asked.   
  
Tohma looked up. "Can it be a physical thing, sensei?"  
  
The teacher shrugged. "I don't see why not, if that's what you want to do..."  
  
Smiling slightly, Tohma nodded. "Hai." Then quickly reached out, and grabbing Ryuichi's shoulders, pushed him into the circle. Ryuichi stumbled, not expecting the push, then turned it into a dramatically staged fall. The rest of the class exploded into laughter. Ryuichi looked back over his shoulder at Tohma.   
  
"So am I a good thing or a bad thing?" He asked.  
  
Tohma smiled sweetly. "I haven't decided yet." 


	2. Tensei

Insert Disclaimer Here.  
  
If this Fic is fluffy, I apologize. It isn't really meant to be, though there may be fluffy moments. I hope that these next chapters will be longer than the first. Short chapters annoy me. ^_^ \\//  
  
Fate Decides  
  
Chapter two  
  
Alone as usual, Tohma sat outside the school, doing his homework under the Sakura trees. Even when not in bloom, the graceful curves of the trees made them beautiful, and Tohma found them relaxing. He had found this small grove near the back of school property, and taken to studying here, off of the usual pathways. Sitting on the ground next to his backpack was a small cup of coffee that had stopped steaming quite a while earlier. He hadn't gone back to the Thespian society, or the room-full-of- insane-hyper-people-with-nothing-better-to-do, as he termed it in his head.  
  
He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes. School wasn't going as well as he had hoped, after all, he kept having to deal with people coming up and trying to address him in English. He felt like a foreign exchange student rather than one from across the city. At least at his old school, they had learned that his blond hair didn't make him American. His textbook slowly slid off his legs, but he paid it no mind. School had let out over an hour ago, and he had been here ever since, minus the foray into the cafeteria that had produced the stale coffee. Since the bell had rung he had been here, doing homework, thinking, dreading going home. It wasn't that there was anything to really dread, anything but that big empty house. The mansion was too big to spend all your time in, alone. Father would still be in America on business, and his mother was at work all day. He considered packing up his things and taking them with him to the park, but decided against it. It was just too much effort.  
  
He heard faint voices and opened his eyes, staring up through the pale branches. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he noted with a sinking feeling that they were coming closer. He wished he could sink into the tree and disappear, hope that they wouldn't notice him.  
  
At first, it seemed as though they would. They were on the other side of the small stand of trees, just close enough that he could begin to hear more clearly. At first he wondered why one voice was so familiar but then he si9ghed, rubbing at his eyes in exasperation. The voice and the hyper rate at which it spoke were unmistakable.  
  
"No, Rei-chan, I haven't seen him. Why do you keep asking, anyway? Think he's cute do you? I mean, I can tell he's cute; I don't have to think he's cute to know he's cute, ne? But just tell me if you think he's cute. If you think he's cute I'll- Rei-chan? Why are you blushing?" Ryuichi's innocent voice paused for a moment, as though waiting for a reply, then, before really giving her time to say anything else, babbled on, this time changing the subject completely. "Do you think I should sing at the fair, Rei? Do you? Do you? I'd really love to, but I need a teacher to listen to me and sponsor me. Do you think Michiru-sensei would sponsor me? Do you? You know I really love to sing, Rei-chan and- Hey, isn't that your boyfriend? Wait a sec, if you've got a boyfriend, what're you doing thinking Seguchi-san is cute for, ne?"  
  
Tohma's stomach flipped. They were talking about him. Ryuichi rattled on.  
  
"You should think about Tatara-kun only, Rei-chan!" Ryu admonished lightly. "Silly girl, thinking that- oh, you have to go now? Ja matte ne!"  
  
Tohma closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. Did the boy ever shut up? He seemed to be capable of switching from subject to subject with no more than a second's notice, and he never ran out of breath. He could hear a girl's quiet voice calling something back to Ryuichi as she left. Holding his breath, he fisted his hands, praying that the hyper boy would leave. Approaching footsteps signaled just the opposite. He sighed. If he was going to have to put up with this, he might as well face if looking prepared. He looked up at the approaching boy who had just seen him and was angling towards him.  
  
"Good afternoon, Ryuichi-kun" He said, smiling emptily. The boy ignored his standoffishness, if he'd even noticed in the first place.  
  
"Yo, Tohma-san!" He said, sitting down next to him in the grass. "Doing homework?"  
  
Tohma nodded. Oddly enough, Ryuichi wasn't annoying him yet. "I'm headed home soon though. I. have work to do." It sounded like a lame excuse even to himself, but he bit his lip and stuck with it. "Chores."  
  
Ryuichi nodded and grinned. "Hai, I know how that goes. You weren't at the meeting today. You know, the society? Aren't you coming back?"  
  
Tohma shrugged. "Maybe." Not looking at Ryuichi he began to pack his satchel. "If I have time."  
  
Ryuichi laughed. "What else have you go to do, ne? Look, I know we're a little weird, but don't let us scare you off the first day, ne? Promise me that you'll come back tomorrow, and if you still don't wanna come again, that's ok. Alright?"  
  
Tohma glanced up at him, surprised. Ryuichi looked almost. hopeful? Sighing, he nodded. "Fine." He only hoped he didn't regret this later.  
  
-------  
  
School passed too fast the next day, and that afternoon found Tohma outside the drama room door, bracing himself for the inevitable.  
  
As he entered he relaxed a bit, the noise level was much quieter than it had been on his first visit. There were clumps of students standing around and chatting as they waited for the meeting to begin. He looked around, not seeing Ryuichi. Apparently, the boy hadn't arrived yet, and he knew no one else here.  
  
He set his satchel down along one wall and sat next to it, eyes scanning the room curiously. He hadn't noticed much about it the last time he was in here, and it was bigger than he had realized. One whole wall was covered in windows, high windows that allowed for a lovely view out into the Sakura trees of the school grounds. A high ceiling was hung with lights, obviously a performance space as well as a classroom. The room was painted black to keep from being too distracting during plays, and the wall across from the windows wall covered with risers that could fold down to provide seating space. It was really an amazing space, and Tohma found himself impressed. Even the music room at his last school hadn't been this fascinating. Continuing his appraisal of the room, his eyes lighted on a small electronic keyboard shoved into a corner, and a slow smile spread over his face. Standing, he made his way around the perimeter of the room and came to stand in front of the dusty instrument. Looking it over, he frowned. It wasn't terribly well taken care of, and dust covered the keys. Sighing, Tohma pulled a kerchief from one of the pockets in his jacket and began to wipe dust from the black and white plastic.  
  
"Ne, Tohma-kun, You play?"  
  
Tohma jumped, not expecting the voice. Whirling, he tried not to stumble back into the keyboard. Ryuichi was standing right behind him, barely inches away. The brown haired boy laughed.  
  
Tohma sighed. This boy found too much amusement in tormenting him. "Hai. I play. a little." He shrugged. "I took piano lessons when I was younger. after that I taught myself."  
  
Ryuichi grinned. "Play something for me, Tohma-kun. Please?"  
  
Tohma shook his head, feeling self-conscious. "Not now, ok, Ryuichi-kun."  
  
"Ryu-kun." Ryuichi corrected. "It's shorter." He cocked his head, a little smile playing in his blue eyes. "Please please? Please please play for me?"  
  
Tohma tried to refuse but found himself agreeing instead. The keys of the keyboard were begging him not to refuse. it had been too long since he'd had time to play. Nodding reluctantly, he turned back to the instrument and reaching behind it, turned it on. He spent several minutes trying to find the right settings, a sound that he was satisfied with. By the time he was done, quite a few of the other students had come over, curious.  
  
Tohma realized that he didn't care anymore. This was what he wanted to do, show off. Play for people that would listen. Smiling slightly, he closed his eyes and setting his fingers to the keys, began to play a soft tune. He felt the keys move by under his fingers, playing from memory. It was a simple tune that he had written several years earlier, it started slowly but built, gaining power and complexity.  
  
Lost inside the music, Tohma winced as one key struck sour, slightly off tune. He ignored it, cocooned in the sounds of the song. He nearly stumbled over the chorus when a soft voice began to sing along. Recovering, his eyes flew open as he kept himself playing only through determination. Ryuichi stood next to him, brows lowered in concentration, pausing occasionally, but then rejoining the song, soft words sung by a gentle voice blending with the piano.  
  
Slowly Tohma stopped playing, staring at the boy beside him. Ryuichi blinked up at him, confused.  
  
"Tohma-kun. Why did you stop playing? It was such a pretty song."  
  
Tohma just stared at him, then managed to say, "Ryuichi. I wrote that song. how could you." He trailed off.  
  
Ryuichi just grinned. You'd already played the chorus twice, so I knew what it sounded like. I just made up words for it, that's all."  
  
"You just. made up words for it? No more than that? All you did was hear it a couple of times and you could already write lyrics to it?"  
  
Ryuichi nodded. "Yup! I write a lot of my own songs, but I've never gotten to hear what they'd sound like to music. You seem to write music, but not have any songs for them. So I wrote you a song. Didn't you like it, Tohma-kun?"  
  
Tohma nodded. "Hai."  
  
The kids around them were clapping, and Tohma could hear praise and congratulations but he ignored them, waiting for them to go away. Eventually the others did return to their conversations, but the subject matter had changed considerably.  
  
Tohma gazed down at the keyboard, trailing his fingers lightly over the surface. "Ryu-kun." His voice was soft.  
  
Ryuichi looked over at him, serious now. "Yes, Tohma-kun?"  
  
The piano player's eyes were closed when he spoke. "Do you ever. close your eyes when you're singing, and see a stage? A brilliantly lit stage, surrounded by flashing lights. In front of you are thousands of screaming fans. Do you ever imagine what it would be like. to be famous?"  
  
As he spoke the last phrase he looked up at Ryuichi, green eyes wide. Ryuichi nodded, head tilted to one side. "Yeah. I do, Tohma-kun. I do. It's exiting, isn't it, to imagine these things."  
  
Tohma nodded. "It is."  
  
"Hey, Tohma. I'm singing in the School festival. Michiru-Sensei said that she'd sponsor me. Would. would you play for me?"  
  
Tohma felt a shiver go through his body. To be one stage. even for the school only. To perform, to play a real song, not just endless music. "Yes! I would, Ryuichi!" 


End file.
